Discussion

The House- Review

So I finally made it to The House ths weekend. We meet up in the bar area which is really nice. I love the marble bar and the nice big windows. Suprisingly they have a great beer list as well as some good wines.

When everyone finally arrived we were seated downstairs. There were only 2 tables in the bottom and as a party of 8 I have to say it was nice to actually be able to hear each other for once although we were a little cramped. It was nice to ne near the open kitchen though.

We got a couple bottles of wine and to start I had the bibb salad. The salad came and it was literally swimming in dressing. Way, way too much. I could hardly eat it. I tried to dab some off with my napkin but when you're at a nice place with people you don't really want to be sticking your napkin into your plate.

My SO got the littleneck clams which were awesome. The last ones we got were at Mary's Fish Camp and the House's version were much better. Really nice and plump.

For entrees I got the Lobster Club sandwich and he got the lamb shank. His dish came and it was definently Not a shank. It was really just a little peice of lamb surronded by corn and some juice. It was actually tiny and had little to no flavor. My lobster club was good but again very small. Actually everyones entrees were tiny. If we didnt have appetizers I think half of the group would still be hungry. Which is maybe why the appetiers are almost the same in price as the main courses.

The dessert was good--Blackhound Chocolate mousse cake and key lime pie. But I could get this on my own (and usually do).

For 8 people with 2 bottles of wine and about 8 beers it was right around $100 per person with tip. I left feeling unfulfilled. It's such a beautiful place but the food just doesn't live up to the surrondings. I will be back but only for drinks in the bar. Other than that there is much better food elsewhere.

Thanks for the report, roze. It's disappointing to hear that the food does not match the wonderful ambiance. Since The House is in my neighborhood, I have it on my "go to" list. But as of now, I think I'll add a question mark.

We had dinner there last month and I have to say we had a pretty pleasant experience. My bf and I were seated in the upstairs area, we each got an app and entree. The apps (crostini for me and tuna crudo for him) were like tapas-size small plates, but I also had the lobster club and thought it was perfectly filling, and bf was pretty happy with his lasagna portion. Though I might agree that if I were really starving I'd be unsatisfied with just an entree, we thought the combined portions we had were perfectly sized, that it was all pretty well-executed and a good value for the charming atmosphere of the place. We're planning to go back soon, hopefully our first impression will hold up!

Thanks for both sides of the picture 1uc7 and roze. I will give it a try but now am better prepared. Personally, I was planning on trying for the wine and decor/ambience/setting mostly. I have walked passed the "house" for so many years I have to try it at least once.

If you go more for the wine and the ambience you'll be fine. The bar is lovely. One more thing just to add which I forgot to mention- the service was actually very good. I had heard mixed reviews before going and was little worried but the staff could not have been friendlier.Man, I really wished I had liked the food :(